The Constitutional Presidency

The nation has spent the better part of this week mourning the death of Gerald Ford and reflecting on his presidency. I was only two years old when President Ford assumed the presidential office upon the resignation of Richard Nixon in August of 1974, so I do not have the benefit of first-hand experience. In listening to all the reflections and memories of his time in the Oval Office, I was most moved by Ford's first speech to Congress as President (replayed by CSPAN this Wednesday past).

"Our national nightmare is over."

Inheriting a nation torn apart by the Vietnam War and scandalized by the imperial presidency of Nixon, Ford governed with the good of the country foremost on his mind. Pardoning President Nixon and negotiating the withdrawal of U.S. forces out of Southeast Asia were controversial and divisive at the time, but history has proven the wisdom of President Ford's actions in working to bind the wounds of the nation.

If Richard Nixon's was the imperial presidency, Gerald Ford's was the constitutional presidency.

The humility and openness with which President Ford governed in many ways epitomized good governance, as envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution. Ford understood the limits of the presidency, respected the co-equal role which the Congress is meant to play in our constitutional scheme, and worked tirelessly to secure the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Presidents are in large measure fashioned by their times. While President Ford made his share of mistakes, he transcended his times to govern in grace and wisdom.